Tucson , Arizona -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- What is most shocking about Gabby Giffords now is how much she looks like her old self . Her golden locks are back ; so is the sparkle in her eyes and her broad smile . Gone is the short hair and thin frame we saw at the beginning of her recovery .

Yet she knows she will never be the same .

`` Stronger . Stronger , better , tougher . Stronger , better , tougher . '' That 's how Giffords describes herself .

The former Arizona congresswoman makes that declaration with determination and gusto . But it still takes a considerable amount of energy and concentration to articulate that , or anything else .

Being with Giffords , who was shot in the head two years ago during an appearance in front of an Arizona supermarket , it is obvious that she understands and absorbs everything around her . She follows conversation , reacts , engages and offers unsolicited ideas -- usually in the form of a single word or gesture that makes clear what she means .

Exclusive : Gabby Giffords still appreciates gun culture

But at times , even simple words are a struggle , like when she tries to explain how she spends her days .

`` Occupational therapy , yogurt , '' said Giffords .

Her husband , former astronaut Mark Kelly , patiently and quietly corrects her , saying `` yoga . ''

`` Yoga , yoga , '' Giffords repeats , offering a playful smile to signal she gets how funny it was that she said `` yogurt '' instead of `` yoga . ''

Gabby and Mark : The new ` Bradys ' of gun control

She has go-to phrases that indicate how she feels , often saying `` good stuff '' to express encouragement and `` whoa '' to show something excites her or makes her happy .

The right-handed Giffords still has no use of that hand and that arm is paralyzed . She generally wears a sling to keep it from flopping around .

Her right leg is also paralyzed . She wears a large brace and literally drags her right leg with her good , left leg to walk . Still , she walks remarkably well .

Giffords has a service dog -- Nelson , a golden lab -- with her at all times .

She is also still aided by nurses , who come to her home , and by speech therapists , who constantly work with her to help improve her ability to communicate .

She also does n't see very well .

` Yes , it 's tough ' : For Giffords , a wounded life has a new purpose

`` Not great at all , '' is how she described her vision .

Giffords has limited sight in both eyes , no peripheral vision to the right .

Kelly jokes that when he wants to sneak up on her he will come around the right so she ca n't see him coming .

That makes Giffords giggle .

It is clear watching the couple interact that humor helps keep her spirits up and eases the pressure of their intense daily struggle .

For Kelly and Giffords , this is the new normal -- a life together that neither could have ever imagined when they first got together . She was a bright young political rising star and he was an astronaut .

Kelly said it is `` different in a lot of good ways . ''

The biggest difference ? For the first time , they actually live in the same house , in the same city , in the same state .

Before Giffords was shot , she jetted between her home in Tucson and work in Washington , while Kelly lived and worked in Texas , home of Johnson Space Center .

They had a commuter marriage , which did n't allow them much time together . Now , they are together all the time , living in a ranch-style home they bought last summer .

And since January , the two have worked together as well . They started Americans for Responsible Solutions , an organization and super PAC dedicated to pushing Giffords ' former colleagues in Congress to support new restrictions to help curb gun violence .

Giffords and Kelly own guns , and CNN filmed Kelly taking target practice with the same kind of gun Jared Loughner used to wound Giffords and kill six other people . Giffords says she would like to learn to shoot again , but it 's not a high priority .

When asked about the National Rifle Association 's argument that the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun , '' Giffords becomes animated .

`` It does n't work ! '' she says . `` It does n't work . ''

She says if she were still in Congress , she would have supported new gun-control legislation in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown , Connecticut .

Giffords ' work and her recovery are not unrelated . Those around her said she has noticeably made more progress with her speech and physical challenges over the past few months since she re-engaged in the world of politics and public policy .

Kelly said Giffords does have moments of frustration , but both insist she is mostly optimistic and not resentful .

`` No . Move ahead , '' said Giffords . `` Move ahead . ''

CNN 's Ted Barrett contributed to this report .

@highlight

NEW : Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords says ` good guy with a gun ' does n't work

@highlight

Paralyzed on her right side and partly blind after being shot , former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords defines a ` new normal '

@highlight

Giffords and husband live in the same house , same state for the first time in their marriage

@highlight

Even with moments of frustration , Giffords insists she is mostly optimistic and not resentful